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2 Sheets- Sheet 1. C. K. COLBY.'

WATCH PENDANT.

Patented Oct. 23, 1883` INVENTOR:

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2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

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N. PETERS. PMID-Lnhogmrmr, Anniv-mn4 D.C

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CALEB KT OOLBY, OF BROOKLYN, NFV YORK.

WATCH-PEN DANT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 287,001, dated October 23, 1883.

Application filed February 1, 1883. (No model.) I

.To all whom. it may concern.:

Be it known that I, OALEB K. COLBY, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Brooklyn, Kings county, New York, have invented certain Improvements in Vatch-Pe'ndants, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a stem-winding pendant for watches, being especially adapted to that class of watcheswherein the back of the case is permanei'ltly closed and the movement, or the ring in which it is mounted, is hinged to the cup-like case. My pendant may, however, be used in any watch-case.

In watches having stem-winding pendants the key in the pendant passes into the movement and engages a socket or square in or on the winding-arbor, and before the movement can be lifted out or turned on its hinge this key must be disengaged from the movement by withdrawing it far enough to clear the latter. My invention provides a ready means for doing this, which I will now describe with reference to the accompanying drawings, where- 1n- Figure l is a vertical mid-section of a watchpendant provided with my improvements, the plane of the sect-ion being taken edgewise of the watch-case, and the key shown as protruding into the hollowr of the winding-arbor. Fig. 2 is a similar section taken at right angles to Fig. l, showing the key withdrawn, so as to permit the movement to be lifted out. Fig. 3 is a detached sectional view of the key and its attachments, and Fig. 4 is an end or bottom view of the same. Figs. 5, 6, 7, S, 9, 10, 11, l2, and 13 illustrate modifications which will be referred to more particularly hereinafter.

Let A represent a watch-case, of a cup form,

of which I have shown only the portion adjacent to the pendant. B is the tubular stem, attached to the case in the usual way. O is the key, and D is the crown attached thereto to form a head or thumb-piece, by which the key is turned in winding. These parts, per se, are common in stem winding and setting watches. Figs. l to 4 show the preferred construction.

In the inside wall of the tubular stem B, I form two internal circular grooves, a, and a',

lat dii'l'ercnt depths in the hollow of the stem,

as shown, to form latch-bearings for the rotating key, and to the crown D or the key C, indiiferently, I secure a latch spring or springs, b b, preferably four, provided with projecting angles or parts Il, to spring into and engage .one or the other of grooves c c when the said springs are inserted in the hollow of the stem, as fully illustrated in Figs. l and 2. NVhen the key, with the crown and springs attached, (see Fig. 3,) is inserted in the hollow of the stem and pressed down, as in Fig. l, the elasticity of the springs causes the projections b thereon to engage the lower groove, c. The key will now be in engagement with the winding-arbor C in the movement F, (if there be a movement in the casa) and by rotating the key in the usual way the watch will be wound up. The bearing which the -key finds in the neck of the stem and that which the crown finds on the exterior surface of the stem prevent any lateral play of the key, and the engagement of the latch-springs bin groove a. prevents any longitudinal movement of the key, unless some force is applied to move it.

Inother words, the key rotates readily, but only yields to extra pressure purposely exerted when an attempt is made to withdraw it longitudinally. If, however, it be desiretto disengage the key from the movement for any purpose whatever, the operator may grasp the crown and pull on it with force sufficient to disengage the springs from groove c, when the key may be withdrawn far enough for the projection b to engage groove c. The parts will now assume the position shown in Fig. 2, the key will be withdrawn far enough to be free from the movement, and it may be rotated freely in this position in the bearing found in the groove c.

I prefer to construct my pendant as represented in Figs. l, 2, 3, and et-that is to say, to secure the springs to the crown by means of a shoulder on the key, which has a screw on its end to screw into the crown; but these parts may as well be secured together in any way desired-as, for example, they may be brazed or soldered together.

In lieu of forming both grooves c and a with inclined faces, and the projections b on the springs with inclined faces to iit them, I

may make the upper or outer face of groove a with a perpendicular face, as shown in Fig. 5, and make the face of the projection b to iit it. In this construction the key could not be readily lwithdrawn entirely from the stem should the effort to withdraw or shift it be too energetic, as the square shoulder of the groove a would serve as a stop or detent.

In lieu of employing the two grooves a c in the stem and one series of projections b on the springs, I may employ but one groove a, as in Fig. 6, and provide the springs with two series of projections b.

In Fig. 7 I have shown a further modification, in which the springs are 'mounted in the hollowr of the stem, and the two series of projections b thereon protrude through slots in the wall of the stem. A groove in the margin of the opening in the hollowr crown D takes over and engages the lower one of these proj ections, as clearly shown in said figure. In Figs. 8 and 9 I have shown a further modification of this last-described device, in which the springs in the stem have but one series of projections b', and the exterior surface of the stem is or may be provided with rigid stops c, to prevent the key from being entirely withdrawn. spective view of the stem so provided, and Fig. 9 shows-a view of the under side of the crown provided with recesses d in the margin of the aperture in its base. When the recesses d are brought to coincide or register with the stops c, the crown may be slipped onor off. These stops may or may not be placed in line with the projections b.

In Fig. 10 I have shown the grooves a and a formed in the shank of the key itself and the latch-springs mounted in the stem, and in Fig. 11 I have shown the same arrangement, except that the key is provided with projecting ribs b', and the springs have recesses a to engage said ribs.

In Fig. 12 I have shown the grooves a a arranged exteriorly of the stem and the springs arranged to engage them in that position.

In Fig. 13 I have shown the same arrangement as in Fig. 1", except that the free ends of the springs are arranged to rest on a collet, e, formed on the shank of the key.

I have shown all of these forms and modifications in order to illustrate the many ways in which my invention may be carried out. The essential features ofall is the elastic or spring latch attachment of the stem B with the key C, whereby the latter is free to rotate, but isv prevented from being moved longitudinally, except by a special effort. The annular groove or rib engaged by the spring-latch I denominate an annular latch device,77 and it is immaterial vwhether the projecting part is on the spring or the other part, and it is also immaterial whether the spring be connected with the key or the tubular stem. The operation is the same in either case.

The upper groove, a', in the stem is not ab- Fig. 8 shows an end view and a pernot rotate.

solutely necessary, as it is not necessary that the key shall be rotative when drawn back, as in Fig. 2; but some form of stop should be provided to prevent the key from being en- 7o tirely withdrawn.v This withdrawal of the key is not desirable, although i't will do no particular harm. Figs. 5, 7, 8, and 9 show stops which will e'ectually prevent the key from being fully withdrawn by inadvertence.

The crown D may be considered as a part of key C, or a provision thereon. From this point of view the groove a in Fig. 7 may be vconsidered as in the key or moving part of the pendant, instead of in the stemornon- 8o moving part, as in Fig. 1.

E is the ordinary suspension-ring of the pendant.

I have not shown how my key. C may be employed as a push-pin for releasing the lid vof the case from its spring-catch, as I make no claim to this. I will say, however, that the tip of the key passes through the case-spring, and a shoulder on its shank rests on the latter.

The retai11ing-groove a is made wide enough 9o to allow of the necessary. slight movement longitudinally of the key. This is a common mode of constructing suchvpush-pin devices.

It must be borne in mind that my inventionA is designed to be applied only to the pendants of stem-winding watches wherein the key is mounted rotatively in the stem and projects normally into the movement to engage the winding-arbor.

I am aware that it has been proposed to` provide key-windin g watches, 7 so called,with a chambered stem, and `to insert the keyinto this stem simply as a retaining-pocket, wherein itis held by a spring to prevent it from dropping out. In this construction, however, the key does not project into the hollow of the case, nor is it desirable or necessary that the chamber in the stem shall connect with the hollow cavity of the case, except incidentally to provide room. Keys mounted in pockets in 'the stems in this manner do not or need In 1the stem winding pendant herein shown the key must project into the case and must rotate, and itis not intended that it'shall ever be withdrawn from the hollow of the stem or be detached from the'case. Having thus described my invention, I claim-.

' 1. The combination, in a stem winding watch, of the tubular stem, a key mounted to rotate in said stem and to project into the movement and engage the winding-arbor, as shown, a spring attached to one of these parts and arranged to engage the other part to form a latch device,'as shown, and the said' winding-arbor, all arranged substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. The combination, in a stem-winding watch, of the case A, the tubular stem B, provided with a groove, a, or its specified equiv- IOO alent, the key C, the movement provided with a winding-arbor, c, arranged opposite to the key C and adapted to be engaged thereby, and the spring I), attached to the key and arranged to engage the groove a in the stein, to forni a latch device to keep the key in engagement with the arbor c, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

3. The combination, to forni a stem-winding pendant for awatch, of the tubular stem provided with two annular grooves or their specified equivalents, arranged at different depths therein, as set forth, a key mounted rotatively in said stem and arranged to engage the winding-arbor normally, said winding-arbor, and a spring, Z), secured to the key, and provided with an angular proj eotion, or its specified equivalent, adapted to engage'either of the annular grooves inthe stein, to l'orin an elastic retaining deviee whereby the key niay be held in either of two positions in the stein, substantially as set forth.

4. The combination, in a watclrpendant, of the tubularstein provided with a groove, a, and a stop-groove, a, or its specified equivalent, the key, the crown, and the spring b, the said key, crown, and spring being secured together, and the spring being provided with projections b', arranged to engage, elastically, the grooves in the stem, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

In witness whereof I have hereunto signed niy name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CALEB K. COLBY. lVitnesses:

HENRY CONNRTT, ARTHUR C. FRASER. 

